Beyond Raw Iso-Casein PM

(1 customer review)

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About

Beyond Raw Iso-Casein PM is a protein supplement made by GNC. It is designed to boost muscle mass, promote recovery and provide “restful sleep support”.

The product contains 25g of protein per portion – all of which is derived from micellar casein isolate. When taken before bed, this slow-digesting protein is said to help reduce muscle breakdown during sleep.

The supplement also features 5.5g of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), which are believed to support muscle recovery after exercise.

In addition, Iso-Casein PM contains Suntheanine (a patented form of L-theanine), which is thought to promote relaxation and sleep.

Each 970g container provides 25 servings.

Reviews

1 review for Beyond Raw Iso-Casein PM

  1. Clipper83

    A good 2 in 1 product that’ll help with hitting macros and catching Z’s
    —-Introduction—-

    So roughly 5-6 years ago, I was a yougin working at GNC. I had the pleasure of using a product that really stood out to me. Beyond Raw Re-Feed! This was my favorite GNC product at the time, and I even reviewed it here on SR. Check out the review here: https://supplementreviews.com/gnc/beyond-raw-re-feed

    Well, times change, and products fade away. You won’t find Re-Feed anywhere, which saddens me, but GNC may have finally done something great again. I’m here to review Iso-Casein PM. Iso Casein PM is a protein powder/sleep aid product. Since many of us do the bro thing and eat a slow-digesting protein before bed, I actually think its a great idea.

    —-Ingredient Profile—-

    Looking at the ingredient profile, the first thing you’ll notice is that it is Micellar Casein Isolate, a high-quality form of casein. This form of casein ensures that there is no sandiness to it, and that the casein itself is found exactly how it is in milk. Some processing methods denature casein, this one doesn’t.

    For people that don’t know what casein is… it is a slow digesting protein derived from milk. It is more satiating than whey and is popular among lifters as a nighttime meal.

    The label is broken up into sections, I’ll list each one:

    [b]BCAA[/b]
    L-Leucine- coming from both the protein powder and as a free form bcaa. You get 2.7 grams.
    Iso-Valine- 1.5 grams (from the casein itself)
    Iso-Leucine- 1.3 grams (from the casein itself.

    Nothing too big to note here. The MPS should start pretty quickly due to the free form leucine in here.

    [b]Relaxation & Restful Sleep[/b]
    Glutamic Acid & Glutamine– they added L-Glutamine to this, leaving this part at 10 grams. I am personally not a huge glutamine fan, however, there are plenty of others here on SR who swear by it.
    Tryptophan– from the casein. This converts to 5-HTP. Good for sleep cycles and overall mood. Here you get 300mg
    Suntheanine (L-Theanine)- pretty well known ingredient for its relaxation benefits. Here you get 200mg.
    Melatonin– 3mg, which is a pretty common dose. I used to be against a dose this high, however, I’ve been getting good results from it from recent sleep products I’ve been using.

    [b]Digestive Enzmes[/b]
    ProHydrolase- this is an enzyme which helps break down protein.
    Lactase- enzyme that breaks down lactose.

    As for macros, one scoop will give you the following:
    0.5f
    4c (2 sugar)
    25p
    120 calories

    This should be easy enough to fit in your diet. I’m going to assume the 2 grams of sugar are lactose, which is why GNC added lactase.

    Overall, the profile is not as good as Re-Feed, but still rounds out to a good nighttime product. I really wish they would have added valerian, as I feel that’s what made Re-Feed so great.

    —-Taste/Mixability/Dosing—-

    I had the vanilla flavor, and it was quite enjoyable. No bad aftertaste or anything like that. No issue here.

    It isn’t as thick as other casein products I have had. Slightly thicker than whey concentrate, but not too far off. I did note a slight graininess from time to time, no big deal and it was actually quite enjoyable. One thing I have to note is that the powder is very fine and disperses quite easily in the air. It can make a mess if you’re not careful. Never had a clump, which is always good.

    One scoop 30-45 minutes before bed is as easy as it gets.

    —-Effectiveness—-

    I’m going to break this up into categories like I usually do with sleep products. As for the protein itself, you’re not going to notice much due to this being a protein powder. No stomach issues to speak of. Good on all parts there.

    Getting to sleep: 7/10

    After running MHP‘s sleep product, this was a bit different. While I had no issue getting to bed, I can’t say I was able to sleep any easier than usual. It didn’t hinder me, but it just wasn’t noticeable like MHP’s product was.

    Staying Asleep: 8.5/10

    Once I fell asleep, I had no problems staying asleep. Of course, once in a while I had to get up at 3am to go to the bathroom, but even the best sleep aids won’t hinder that all the time. Had some good restful nights on this.

    Mornings: 8/10

    I had little issue getting out of bed in the morning. By no means did I wake up earlier than usual ready to jump out of bed and take on the day, but still, there was no sleep hangover to speak of.

    —-Value—-

    This product is actually pretty affordable. $40 for 25 servings. You can get casein for around $29 from Dymatize (26 servings). The added benefit of melatonin and other relaxation ingredients isn’t bad either. You could get the other ingredients, like melatonin really cheap. ON melatonin can be found for under $3/100 servings (3mg). I personally don’t have an issue spending $40 on this, but I’d recommend trying melatonin on its own with a basic micellar casein product first before you grab this for the extra relaxation ingredients in here. (Theanine and Tryptophan)

    —-Side Effects—-

    None

    —-Conclusion—-

    Overall, I’m giving this an 8/10 because I will buy this product myself. I found myself looking forward to drinking it every night and while it was not the best sleep aid I’ve ever used, it is just strong enough to make me want to use it again. With my green thumb, I’m basically saying that this product is a great way to end your day, and is worth taking a look at. I won’t make this a staple, as a phenibut run is always fun, but if you’re in the market for a nighttime casein, this is worth trying at least once.

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